How, why, and to what end did a single German mother traverse the Atlantic to study and paint insects? This session examines the life and times of seventeenth-century naturalist, entomologist, and artist Maria Sibylla Merian. She was highly-regarded for her scientific illustrations and groundbreaking work on the life cycle of insects—a passion she had pursued since early adolescence. But Merian achieved even greater renown after her journey, with her daughter, to Surinam (Dutch Guiana) at the age of 52. After documenting the lives of South American insects, she published her findings by way of innovative scientific illustrations and commentary. We will also examine the transformation of Marien’s reputation over time: her work was posthumously challenged in the nineteenth century but finally rehabilitated in the next to even greater acclaim.
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